The Princeton University Board of Trustees approved the appointment of two new faculty members, including one full professor and one assistant professor, according to an April 2 announcement.
The appointments bring expertise in robotics and political theory to the university. Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio will join as a full professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering effective July 1. Yunhyae Kim will become an assistant professor in politics, also starting in July.
Kramer-Bottiglio specializes in robotics with a focus on developing shapeshifting soft robots that mimic animal adaptation to different environments. Her research includes work on amphibious robots inspired by turtles whose limbs can morph for efficient movement both in water and on land. She comes to Princeton from Yale University, where she served as the John J. Lee Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering since 2017. Previously, she was an assistant professor at Purdue University and a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University.
Her research has received grants from organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Kramer-Bottiglio’s honors include the NSF Alan T. Waterman Award (2024), Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2019), NSF Early Career Award (2015), and NASA Early Career Award (2014). She is also involved with editorial boards for several scientific journals and holds eight patents.
Yunhyae Kim joins Princeton’s Department of Politics specializing in political theory. Kim holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and a B.A. from Seoul National University.
These appointments are part of ongoing efforts by Princeton to strengthen its academic programs through faculty recruitment.
